A newsletter for Dorset History Centre, the Historic Environment Record, Portable Antiquities Scheme, and Dorset Archives Trust: working together to support the preservation of Dorset's history.
View this email in your browser
A Busy Springtime
** Welcome to May's newsletter!
------------------------------------------------------------
As we move through spring, with lighter evenings, warmer days (hopefully!) and greener landscapes, staff at Dorset History Centre continue to be very busy. There is lots happening both at the Centre itself and in the wider community! In another bumper newsletter we have:
* News about building works at DHC
* Information about the Thomas Hardy collection
* A new book launched by Dorset Record Society
* New information boards launched in Dorchester
* An art exhibition at Dorchester Prison
* Send in your nominations for the Dorset Heritage Awards
* Another photograph for you to identify
* And some social media updates
** Building work at Dorset History Centre
------------------------------------------------------------
The outside of the Dorset History Centre
From Monday 29 April 2024 there will be no public access to the car park at Dorset History Centre whilst we undertake major work on our roof. The car park will be closed for 4 months, reopening in September 2024. We apologise for any inconvenience this might cause.
If you want to visit Dorset History Centre during these four months, there are local car parks at Top o'Town and Fairfield Road, which are a short distance away.
Please get in touch if you have any queries about visiting between May and September 2024.
Please get in touch with us if you have any queries
** Important information about the Thomas Hardy Archive
------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas Hardy pushing his bicycle along a country road. The photo is in black and white.
Between March 2024 and August 2025 the Thomas Hardy archive collection held at Dorset History Centre is being catalogued. To enable the cataloguing to take place there will be some periods when the whole collection or parts of the collection will not be accessible.
There will be a closure period for the whole Thomas Hardy collection between Monday 20 May 2024 and Sunday 14 July 2024. If you have any time-sensitive research needs please do contact us and we will try to accommodate your request.
Get in touch about the Thomas Hardy collection
** Minutes of the Dorset Standing Committee 1646
------------------------------------------------------------
Dorset Standing Committee 1646 with strangways letters
In 1982 a missing portion of the Minutes of the Dorset Standing Committee was discovered at Kingston Lacy, home of Dorset’s largest landowners, the Bankes family. This came as a great surprise, as nobody knew that it existed.
The Minutes cover the period when the country was ruled by Parliament under Oliver Cromwell. Standing Committees were set up in every county to take over the running of local government and to exert control over the people. Anyone who opposed Parliamentary rule was heavily fined or had homes and property confiscated.
Tim Goodwin, an expert on the period has transcribed this fascinating piece of ‘lost’ history which along with related material is due to be published by Dorset Record Society.
A launch event for this book will take place on May 18 May at 2pm at Dorset History Centre.
All are welcome.
The book is published by Dorset Record Society, price £14.95. Available from Dorset History Centre, Bridport Road, Dorchester, DT1 1RP.
Learn more about the Dorset Record Society
** Mill Stream Boards
------------------------------------------------------------
mayor Alistair Chisolm unveils the Millstream panels
DHC enjoys working with Dorchester Town Council’s Heritage Committee
on a range of projects and we’re delighted to see that one of these has come to fruition. New information boards along the Mill Stream from the old Lott and Walne foundry, along Mill Street to the old Mill buildings, benefitted from DHC research and images – alongside the efforts of local historians and partners.
The boards were unveiled by Dorchester’s Mayor, Alistair Chisholm on 23^rd February and if you’d like to know more about this previously industrialised part of Fordington and the people who made it so prosperous we highly recommend a stroll.
** New art exhibition at Dorchester Prison
------------------------------------------------------------
Artwork called Mailbag
Local artist Carol-Anne Savage will be holding an exhibition of her artwork in Dorchester Prison later this month. Carol-Anne has been making a body of work responding to this historic site over the last 18 months.
As part of her research, she has been examining the records of the Victorian prison and its inmates, held at Dorset History Centre. This material has allowed her to make new discoveries and has directly informed her work.
The exhibition is part of Dorset Art Weeks events and will be held on site in the prison on Saturday 25^th May from 10am to 4pm. The work will then be on show at her studio until the 9^th of June. Her studio is Venue 155 in the Art Weeks brochure and is very close to Hardy’s Cottage at Bockhampton.
More information is available via Carol-Anne's website
** Celebrate Dorset’s Heritage
------------------------------------------------------------
Close up of the wooden bowl that is given for the Dorset Archaeological award.
The 2024 Dorset Heritage Awards judges want your help to identify projects to be considered for this year’s awards. The awards celebrate contributions to Dorset’s history and archaeology in areas such as presentation of information through display and publications, school and community heritage projects, education, and sponsorship of archaeological work, as well as more practical things like care of monuments or historic buildings, excavation, survey, or reporting of finds. Past winners range from professional archaeologists to school children, from parish heritage projects to individuals who beaver away to maintain and champion the heritage of their ‘patch’.
No project too small and no need for lots of information – just tip us off, and we’ll do the rest. Send us an email with a few words about the project and why you like it, and we'll take things from there.
Get in touch with the team about the Dorset Heritage Awards
** Do you know where this picture is?
------------------------------------------------------------
In the last newsletter we shared this photograph, and challenged you to identify where it was taken. We had a range of guesses, but many people correctly spotted that this is a picture of Bridge Street, Sturminster Newton!
As always, thank-you to everyone who got in touch with a guess!
This month we have this photograph to challenge you. If you think you know where this photograph might have been taken then send your guess through to us, and as usual, we will reveal the answer in next month's newsletter!
Where was this picture taken?
** Social Media updates
------------------------------------------------------------
There's been lots happening on our Twitter/X page in the last month, and we've been sharing some fun and interesting new things:
* 100 Ballards: A collection of 17th Century music has been made available to the public
* We're supporting Tolpuddle Old Chapel Trust as they embark on "Tolpuddle Family Lives: A People’s Heritage"
* We're also supporting a Dorchester D-Day event, and shared a call for a wide range of people to help out...
* And finally, we celebrated Dorset's connection to frogs and toads!
Follow us on Twitter/X!
Update your preferences or unsubscribe from this newsletter
Unsubscribe from Dorset Councils News
Sign up for other topics from Dorset Councils News
============================================================
** Follow us on Twitter
** Like us on Facebook
** Website
** Instagram